Acronis Backup Cloud Version 6

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Acronis Backup Cloud

Version 6

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1 Administrator's Guide

1.1 About this document

This document is intended for partners who want to provide backup as a service to their clients, as well as for client company administrators who want to use the backup service.

This document describes how to quickly set up the backup service and perform backup and recovery.

1.2 About the backup service

The backup service is provided at the partner level, down to the client company level and the end-user level.

The backup service management is available through a web interface.

1.2.1 Accounts and groups

There are two account types: administrator accounts and user accounts. Both the user and the administrators can manage backups of the user's data.

Each account belongs to a group. The group hierarchy is supposed to match the client/vendor relationships between the backup service users and providers.

A group type of Customer typically corresponds to organizations that use the backup service. A group type of Unit typically corresponds to units or departments within the organization.

An administrator can create and manage groups, administrator accounts, and user accounts on or below their level in the hierarchy.

Administrators at the customer level and higher can limit access to their groups for higher-level administrators. This is done by disabling the Inherit administrator accounts from parent group

setting on the Administrators tab of the root group. When the inheritance is disabled, the parent group administrators can only modify the group properties. They do not see the accounts and child groups at all.

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The following diagram illustrates three hierarchy levels—the partner, customer, and unit groups. At least one account (either an administrator or a user) must exist within a unit. If a customer group does not have units, at least one account must exist within the customer group.

The following table summarizes operations that can be performed by the administrators and users.

Operation Users Customer and unit

administrators

Partner administrators

Create groups No Yes Yes

Create accounts No Yes Yes

Download and install the backup software

Yes Yes No*

Manage backup Yes Yes Yes

Manage recovery Yes Yes No*

Create reports about the service usage

No Yes Yes

*A partner administrator who needs to perform these operations can create a customer administrator or user account for themselves.

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1.2.2 Components

This section describes the software components utilized by the backup service.

On the end-user side

At least one of the following components must be installed on the end-user side:



Agent for Windows backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running Windows.



Agent for VMware backs up ESXi virtual machines without installing agents into the guest

systems. The agent is installed on a Windows machine that has network access to vCenter Server and to the storage where the backed-up virtual machines are stored.



Agent for Hyper-V backs up Hyper-V virtual machines without installing agents into the guest systems. The agent is installed on a Hyper-V host.



Agent for Virtuozzo backs up Virtuozzo virtual machines and containers without installing agents into the guest systems. The agent is installed on a Virtuozzo host.



Agent for Exchange backs up Microsoft Exchange Server databases.



Agent for SQL backs up Microsoft SQL Server databases.



Agent for Linux backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running Linux.



Agent for Mac backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running OS X.



Agent for Active Directory backs up and ensures proper recovery of a domain controller.



Agent for Office 365 backs up Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes.

The agents can be installed by users or by administrators.

On the data-center side

The servers are located in Acronis data centers.



Account server stores the user account hierarchy and enables administering the backup service from the account management console. Only administrators can access this console.



Backup management server manages the agents. It enables users and administrators to set up and monitor backups from the backup console. Users, unit administrators, and customer administrators log in directly to this console. Partner administrators access it from the account management console.

The backup storages are located in Acronis data centers. Service providers can organize backup storages in their own data centers, by using the Acronis Storage or Acronis Storage Gateway software. End users have the option to store backups either in a data center or within their local networks.

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The following diagram illustrates the default backup service architecture. Blue arrows ( ) show the software component interactions. Black arrows ( ) show how administrators and end users access the backup service.

1.2.3 Supported web browsers

The web interface supports the following web browsers:



Google Chrome 29 or later



Mozilla Firefox 23 or later



Opera 16 or later



Windows Internet Explorer 10 or later



Safari 5.1.7 or later running in the OS X and iOS operating systems

In other web browsers (including Safari browsers running in other operating systems), the user interface might be displayed incorrectly, or some functions may be unavailable.

1.3 Step-by-step instructions

The following steps will guide you through the installation and basic use of the backup service. They describe how to:



Activate your administrator account



Create a group

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

Access the backup service



Create a report about the service usage

For information about how to back up and recover data, refer to the User's Guide (p. 15).

1.3.1 Activating an administrator account

After signing the partnership agreement or signing up for the backup service, you will receive an email message containing the following information:



An account activation link. Click the link and set the password for the administrator account. Remember your login that is shown on the account activation page.



A link to the login page. Use this link to access the backup service in future. The login and password are the same as in the previous step.

1.3.2 Accessing the backup service

To log in to the backup service

1. Go to the backup service login page. The login page address was included in the activation email message.

2. Type the login and password of the account. 3. Click Log in.

Unit administrators and customer administrators log in directly to the backup console. To access the account management console, they must click Manage accounts.

Partner administrators log in to the account management console. To access the backup console, they must select a customer or unit in the Groups list, and then click Manage backups.

You can change the language of the web interface by clicking the human-figure icon in the top-right corner.

For information about how to back up and recover data, refer to the User's Guide (p. 15).

1.3.3 Creating a group

A Partner group is normally created for each partner that signs the partnership agreement. A Customer group is normally created for each organization that signs up for the backup service. You may want to create a new Unit group within a customer group when expanding the backup service to a new organizational unit.

To create a group

1. Log in to the account management console.

2. Select a group in which you want to create the new group. 3. On the bottom of the Groups pane, click "+".

4. In Name, specify a name for the new group.

5. [Optional] In Identifier, type a string that will act as the identifier for the group. This identifier will appear in monthly reports, together with the group's usage data. You can use this identifier to refer to this group in other software, such as in your billing or monitoring systems.

The identifier can consist of up to 256 Unicode characters (for example, numbers and Latin letters). It does not need to be unique across groups.

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6. In Type, select the type of the new group. The available types depend on the parent group type. 7. [Only when creating a customer group] In Mode, select whether the group is using the backup

service in the trial mode or in the production mode. Monthly service usage reports do not include usage data for trial-mode groups.

Important If you switch the mode from trial to production in the middle of a month, the entire month will be included in the monthly service usage report. For this reason, we recommend that you switch the mode on the 1st day of a month. The mode is automatically switched to production when a group remains in the backup service for one full month.

8. In Default language, select the default language of notifications, reports, and backup software that will be used within this group.

9. [Only when creating a customer group] In Storage, choose the data center where the backups will be kept.

Detailed information about the data centers is available on the Storage tab, when the customer's parent group is selected in the Groups list. Click Add on the Storage tab to find information about organizing a backup storage in your own data center.

10. [Optional, only when creating a customer group] In Pricing parameters, select the currency that will be used for billing and Backup price of backup service per gigabyte per month.

11. [Optional, not applicable to a unit group] Specify the storage quota and the maximum number of machines the group is allowed to back up.



Physical workstations



Physical servers



Virtual machines



Mobile devices



Office 365 mailboxes



Storage quota

These quotas are "soft". If any of these values are exceeded, an email notification is sent to the group administrators and the administrators of the parent group. Restrictions on using the backup service are not applied.

12. [Optional, only when creating a customer group] Specify the quota overages. An overage allows a customer group to exceed the quota by the specified value. When the overage is exceeded, backups fail.

Important If you set both a quota and its overage to zero, the corresponding functionality will be hidden from the members of this group and its child groups.

13. [Optional] In Backup locations, select the backup locations for this group and its child groups. The following options are available:



Local and cloud



Cloud only

14. [Optional] Disable the Agent auto update switch. If you do this, the agents that are registered under the accounts within this group and its child groups will not be updated automatically when a new version is released.

15. [Optional] In Contact information, specify the contact information for the group. 16. Click Create.

The newly created group appears in the Groups tree.

If you want to specify the billing information for a group, select the group in the Groups list, click

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1.3.4 Creating a partner account

Within a partner group, only administrator accounts can be created.

To create a partner account

2. Select a group in which you want to create the account. 3. Click the Administrators tab.

4. Click "+".

5. Specify the following contact information for the account.



Login

Important Each account must have a unique login. You can create multiple logins using the same email address.



Email address



[Optional] First name



[Optional] Last name

6. [Optional] Change the Backup notifications level. If you disable backup notifications, the notifications about backup failures, warnings, and successful backups will not be sent to the specified email address.

7. [Optional] Disable Business notifications. If you do this, notifications about exceeded quotas will not be sent to the specified email address.

8. Click Add. As a result:



A new account appears in the Administrators tab.



An email message containing the activation link is sent to the email address you specified.

1.3.5 Creating a customer account

At least one account (either an administrator or a user) must exist within a unit. If a customer group does not have units, at least one account must exist within the customer group.

To create an account within a unit or a customer group

2. Select a group in which you want to create the account. 3. Click the Accounts tab.

4. Click "+".

5. Specify the following contact information for the account.



Login

Important Each account must have a unique login. You can create multiple logins using the same email address.



Email address



[Optional] First name

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6. If you want this account to be an administrator account, enable the Administrator privileges

switch.

7. [Optional] Disable the Agent auto update switch. If you do this, the agents that are registered under this account will not be updated automatically when a new version is released.

8. [Optional] Specify the storage quota and the maximum number of machines the user is allowed to back up.



Physical workstations



Physical servers



Virtual machines



Mobile devices



Office 365 mailboxes



Storage quota

These quotas are "soft". If any of these values are exceeded, a notification will be sent to the email address specified in step 5. Restrictions on using the backup service are not applied. 9. [Optional] Specify the quota overages. An overage allows the user to exceed the quota by the

specified value. When the overage is exceeded, backups fail.

Important If you set both a quota and its overage to zero, the corresponding functionality will be hidden from the user.

10. [Optional] In Backup locations, select the backup locations for this account. The following options are available:



Local and cloud



Cloud only

11. [Optional] Change the Backup notifications level. If you disable backup notifications, the notifications about backup failures, warnings, and successful backups will not be sent to the specified email address.

12. [Optional] Disable Business notifications. If you do this, notifications about exceeded quotas will not be sent to the specified email address.

13. Click Add. As a result:



A new account appears in the Accounts tab.



An email message containing the activation link is sent to the email address you specified.

1.3.6 Creating a report about the service usage

Usage reports provide historical data about using the backup service. This data can be used to charge the customers.

Only administrators can create these reports.

Reporting parameters

The report includes the following data about a customer, units, and accounts:



Size of backups by group, by account, by machine type.



Amount of protected machines by group, by account, by machine type.



Price value by group, by account, by machine type.

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The total amount of protected machines.



Total price value.

Report scope

You can select the scope of the report from the following values:



Direct customers and partners

The report will include the values of the reporting parameters only for the immediate child groups of your group.



All customers and partners

The report will include the values of the reporting parameters for all child groups of your group.



All customers and partners (including account details)

The report will include the values of the reporting parameters for all child groups of your group and for all user accounts within the groups.

Enabling or disabling scheduled usage reports

A scheduled report covers system usage data for the last full calendar month. The reports are generated at 23:59:59 by UTC time on the first day of a month and sent on the second day of that month to all administrators of your group.

1. In the account management console, click Reports. 2. Select the Scheduled tab.

3. Enable or disable the scheduled usage reports by clicking the on/off switch. 4. In Level of detail, select the report scope as described above.

Generating a custom usage report

This type of report can be generated on demand and cannot be scheduled. The report will be sent to your email address.

1. In the account management console, click Reports. 2. Select the Custom tab.

3. In Period, select the reporting period:



Current calendar month



Previous calendar month



Custom

4. If you want to specify a custom reporting period, select the start and the end dates. Otherwise, skip this step.

5. In Type, select the report type:



Summary report: The report will include the total values of the reporting parameters for the specified period, including the total price value.



Daily statistics: The report will include the values of the reporting parameters for each day of the specified period, excluding the price values.

6. In Level of detail, select the report scope as described above. 7. To generate the report, click Generate and send.

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1.4 Advanced scenarios

1.4.1 Deploying agents through Group Policy

You can centrally install (or deploy) Agent for Windows onto machines that are members of an Active Directory domain, by using Group Policy.

In this section, you will find out how to set up a Group Policy object to deploy agents onto machines in an entire domain or in its organizational unit.

Every time a machine logs on to the domain, the resulting Group Policy object will ensure that the agent is installed and registered.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with agent deployment, ensure that:



You have an Active Directory domain with a domain controller running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or later.



You are a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain.



You have downloaded the All agents for installation in Windows setup program. The download link is available on the Add devices page in the backup console.

Step 1: Creating the .mst transform and extracting the installation package

1. Log on as an administrator on any machine in the domain.

2. Create a shared folder that will contain the installation packages. Ensure that domain users can access the shared folder—for example, by leaving the default sharing settings for Everyone. 3. Copy the setup program to the folder you created.

4. Start the setup program.

5. Click Create .mst and .msi files for unattended installation.

6. If prompted, specify the credentials of the account to which the machines should be assigned. 7. Review or modify the installation settings that will be added to the .mst file.

8. Click Generate.

As a result, the .mst transform is generated and the .msi and .cab installation packages are extracted to the folder you created. You can now move or delete the setup program .exe file.

Step 2: Setting up the Group Policy objects

1. Log on to the domain controller as a domain administrator; if the domain has more than one domain controller, log on to any of them as a domain administrator.

2. If you are planning to deploy the agent in an organizational unit, ensure that the organizational unit exists in the domain. Otherwise, skip this step.

3. In the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers (in Windows Server 2003)or Group Policy Management (in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012).

4. In Windows Server 2003:



Right-click the name of the domain or organizational unit, and then click Properties. In the dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, and then click New.

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

Right-click the name of the domain or organizational unit, and then click Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here.

5. Name the new Group Policy object Agent for Windows.

6. Open the Agent for Windows Group Policy object for editing, as follows:



In Windows Server 2003, click the Group Policy object, and then click Edit.



In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012, under Group Policy Objects, right-click the Group Policy object, and then click Edit.

7. In the Group Policy object editor snap-in, expand Computer Configuration. 8. In Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008:



Expand Software Settings. In Windows Server 2012:



Expand Policies > Software Settings.

9. Right-click Software installation, then point to New, and then click Package.

10. Select the agent's .msi installation package in the shared folder that you previously created, and then click Open.

11. In the Deploy Software dialog box, click Advanced, and then click OK.

12. On the Modifications tab, click Add, and then select the .mst transform that you previously created.

13. Click OK to close the Deploy Software dialog box.

1.4.2 Limiting access to the web interface

You can limit access to the web interface by specifying a list of IP addresses from which the members of a group are allowed to log in.

This restriction is not applied to the members of the child groups.

To limit access to the web interface

2. Select a group for which you want to limit the access. 3. Click Security.

4. Enable the Logon control switch.

5. In Allowed IP addresses, specify the allowed IP addresses.

You can enter any of the following parameters, separated by a semicolon:



IP addresses, for example 192.0.2.0



IP ranges, for example 192.0.2.0-192.0.2.255



Subnets, for example 192.0.2.0/24

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2 User's Guide

2.1 About the backup service

This service enables backup and recovery of physical and virtual machines, files, and databases to local or cloud storage.

This service is available through a web interface.

2.2 Software requirements

2.2.1 Supported web browsers

The web interface supports the following web browsers:



Google Chrome 29 or later



Mozilla Firefox 23 or later



Opera 16 or later



Windows Internet Explorer 10 or later



Safari 5.1.7 or later running in the OS X and iOS operating systems

In other web browsers (including Safari browsers running in other operating systems), the user interface might be displayed incorrectly, or some functions may be unavailable.

2.2.2 Supported operating systems and environments

Agent for Windows

Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64)

Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 – Standard and Enterprise editions (x86, x64) Windows Small Business Server 2003/2003 R2

Windows Vista – all editions

Windows Server 2008 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web editions (x86, x64) Windows Small Business Server 2008

Windows 7 – all editions

Windows Server 2008 R2 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Foundation, and Web editions Windows MultiPoint Server 2010/2011/2012

Windows Small Business Server 2011 – all editions

Windows 8/8.1 – all editions except for the Windows RT editions (x86, x64) Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 – all editions

Windows Storage Server 2003/2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2 Windows 10 – Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions Windows Server 2016 – Technical Preview 4

Agent for SQL, Agent for Exchange, and Agent for Active Directory

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Agent for Office 365

Windows Server 2008 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web editions (x64 only) Windows Small Business Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 R2 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Foundation, and Web editions Windows Small Business Server 2011 – all editions

Windows 8/8.1 – all editions except for the Windows RT editions (x64 only) Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 – all editions

Windows Storage Server 2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2 (x64 only) Windows 10 – Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions (x64 only) Windows Server 2016 – Technical Preview 4 (x64 only)

Agent for Linux

Linux with kernel from 2.6.9 to 4.5 and glibc 2.3.4 or later Various x86 and x86_64 Linux distributions, including:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2

Ubuntu 9.10, 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10, 12.04, 12.10, 13.04, 13.10, 14.04, 14.10, 15.04, 15.10, 16.04

Fedora 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and 11

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 – supported on file systems, except for Btrfs Debian 4, 5, 6, 7.0, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5

CentOS 5.x, 6.x, 7, and 7.1

Oracle Linux 5.x, 6.x, 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2 – both Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel and Red Hat Compatible Kernel

CloudLinux 5.x, 6.x, 7, and 7.1 ClearOS 5.x, 6.x, 7, and 7.1

Before installing the product on a system that does not use RPM Package Manager, such as an Ubuntu system, you need to install this manager manually; for example, by running the following command (as the root user): apt-get install rpm

Agent for Mac

OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 OS X Mavericks 10.9 OS X Yosemite 10.10 OS X El Capitan 10.11

Agent for VMware

This agent is delivered as a Windows application for running in any operating system listed above for Agent for Windows with the following exceptions:



32-bit operating systems are not supported.



Windows XP, Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, and Windows Small Business Server 2003/2003 R2 are not supported.

VMware ESXi 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, 5.5, and 6.0

Agent for Hyper-V

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Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008/2008 R2 Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 with Hyper-V Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012/2012 R2 Windows 8, 8.1 (x64) with Hyper-V

Windows 10 – Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions with Hyper-V Windows Server 2016 with Hyper-V – Technical Preview 4

Agent for Virtuozzo

Virtuozzo 6.0.10

2.2.3 Supported Microsoft SQL Server versions



Microsoft SQL Server 2016



Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2



2.2.4 Supported Microsoft Exchange Server versions



Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 – all editions.



Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 – all editions, Cumulative Update 1 (CU1) and later.



Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 – all editions, all service packs.



Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 – all editions, all service packs. Recovery of mailboxes and mailbox items is not supported.

2.2.5 Supported Microsoft SharePoint versions

Acronis Backup Cloud supports the following Microsoft SharePoint versions:



Microsoft SharePoint 2013



Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 SP1



Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 SP1



Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP2*



Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP2*

*In order to use SharePoint Explorer with these versions, you need a SharePoint recovery farm to attach the databases to.

The backups or databases from which you extract data must originate from the same SharePoint version as the one where SharePoint Explorer is installed.

2.2.6 Compatibility with encryption software

There are no limitations on backing up and recovering data that is encrypted by file-level encryption software.

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Disk-level encryption software encrypts data on the fly. This is why data contained in the backup is not encrypted. Disk-level encryption software often modifies system areas: boot records, or partition tables, or file system tables. These factors affect disk-level backup and recovery, the ability of the recovered system to boot and access to Secure Zone.

You can back up the data encrypted by the following disk-level encryption software:



Microsoft BitLocker Drive Encryption



McAfee Endpoint Encryption



PGP Whole Disk Encryption.

To ensure reliable disk-level recovery, follow the common rules and software-specific recommendations.

Common installation rule

The strong recommendation is to install the encryption software before installing the backup agents.

The way of using Secure Zone

Secure Zone must not be encrypted with disk-level encryption. This is the only way to use Secure Zone:

1. Install the encryption software; then, install the agent. 2. Create Secure Zone.

3. Exclude Secure Zone when encrypting the disk or its volumes.

Common backup rule

You can do a disk-level backup in the operating system. Do not try to back up using bootable media.

Software-specific recovery procedures

Microsoft BitLocker Drive Encryption

To recover a system that was encrypted by BitLocker: 1. Boot from the bootable media.

2. Recover the system. The recovered data will be unencrypted. 3. Reboot the recovered system.

4. Turn on BitLocker.

If you only need to recover one partition of a multi-partitioned disk, do so under the operating system. Recovery under bootable media may make the recovered partition undetectable for Windows.

McAfee Endpoint Encryption and PGP Whole Disk Encryption

You can recover an encrypted system partition by using bootable media only.

If the recovered system fails to boot, rebuild Master Boot Record as described in the following Microsoft knowledge base article: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2622803

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2.3 Supported file systems

A backup agent can back up any file system that is accessible from the operating system where the agent is installed. For example, Agent for Windows can back up and recover an ext4 file system if the corresponding driver is installed in Windows.

The following table summarizes the file systems that can be backed up and recovered (bootable media supports only recovery). The limitations apply to both the agents and bootable media.

File system Supported by Limitations Agents Bootable media for Windows and Linux Bootable media for Mac FAT16/32 All agents + + No limitations NTFS + + ext2/ext3/ext4 + -

HFS+ Agent for Mac - +

JFS

Agent for Linux

+ -

Files cannot be excluded from a disk backup

ReiserFS3 + -

ReiserFS4 + -



Files cannot be

excluded from a disk backup



Volumes cannot be resized during a recovery ReFS All agents + + XFS + +

Linux swap Agent for Linux + - No limitations

The software automatically switches to the sector-by-sector mode when backing up drives with unrecognized or unsupported file systems. A sector-by-sector backup is possible for any file system that:



is block-based



spans a single disk



has a standard MBR/GPT partitioning scheme

If the file system does not meet these requirements, the backup fails.

2.4 Activating the account

When an administrator creates an account for you, an email message is sent to your email address. The message contains the following information:

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

An account activation link. Сlick the link and set the password for the account. Remember your login that is shown on the account activation page.



A link to the backup console login page. Use this link to access the console in future. The login and password are the same as in the previous step.

2.5 Accessing the backup service

You can log in to the backup service if you activated your account.

To log in to the backup service

1. Go to the backup service login page. The login page address was included in the activation email message.

2. Type the login and password of the account. 3. Click Log in.

You can change the language of the web interface by clicking the human-figure icon in the top-right corner.

2.6 Installing the software

2.6.1 Preparation

Step 1

Choose an agent, depending on what you are going to back up. The following table summarizes the information, to help you decide.

Note that Agent for Windows is installed along with Agent for Exchange, Agent for SQL, Agent for VMware, Agent for Hyper-V, and Agent for Active Directory. If you install, for example, Agent for SQL, you also will be able to back up the entire machine where the agent is installed.

What are you going to back up?

Which agent do I need? Where to install it?

Physical machines running Windows

Agent for Windows On the machine that will be backed up. Physical machines

running Linux

Agent for Linux On the machine that will be backed up. Physical machines

running OS X

Agent for Mac On the machine that will be backed up. VMware ESXi virtual

machines

Agent for VMware On a Windows machine that has network access to vCenter Server and to the virtual machine storage.* Hyper-V virtual

machines

Agent for Hyper-V On the Hyper-V host. Virtuozzo virtual

machines and containers

Agent for Virtuozzo On the Virtuozzo host.

SQL databases Agent for SQL On the machine running Microsoft SQL Server. Exchange databases Agent for Exchange On the machine running Microsoft Exchange Server.

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Machines running Active Directory Domain Services

Agent for Active Directory On the domain controller.

Virtual machines hosted on Amazon EC2

The same as for physical machines**

On the machine that will be backed up. Virtual machines hosted

on Windows Azure

The same as for physical machines**

On the machine that will be backed up. Microsoft Office 365

mailboxes

Agent for Office 365 On a Windows machine that is connected to the Internet.

*If your ESXi uses a SAN attached storage, install the agent on a machine connected to the same SAN. The agent will back up the virtual machines directly from the storage rather than via the ESXi host and LAN. **A virtual machine is considered virtual if it is backed up by an external agent. If an agent is installed in the guest system, the backup and recovery operations are the same as with a physical machine. Nevertheless, the machine is counted as virtual when you set quotas for the number of machines.

Step 2

Review the system requirements for the agents.

Agent Disk space occupied by the agent(s)

Agent for Windows 550 MB

Agent for Linux 500 MB

Agent for Mac 450 MB

Agent for VMware 700 MB (150 MB + 550 MB Agent for Windows) Agent for Hyper-V 600 MB (50 MB + 550 MB Agent for Windows)

Agent for Virtuozzo 500 MB

Agent for Exchange 750 MB (200 MB + 550 MB Agent for Windows) Agent for SQL 600 MB (50 MB + 550 MB Agent for Windows) Agent for Active Directory 600 MB (50 MB + 550 MB Agent for Windows)

Agent for Office 365 550 MB

The typical memory consumption is 300 MB above the operating system and running applications. The peak consumption may reach 2 GB, depending on the amount and type of data being processed by the agents.

Step 3

Download the setup program. To find the download links, click All devices > Add.

The Add devices page provides web installers for each agent that is installed in Windows. A web installer is a small executable file that downloads the main setup program from the Internet and saves it as a temporary file. This file is deleted immediately after the installation.

If you want to store the setup programs locally, download a package containing all agents for installation in Windows by using the link at the bottom of the Add devices page. Both 32-bit and 64-bit packages are available. These packages enable you to customize the list of components to install. These packages also enable unattended installation, for example, via Group Policy. This advanced scenario is described in the Administrator's Guide (p. 13).

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All setup programs require an Internet connection to register the machine in the backup service. If there is no Internet connection, the installation will fail.

Step 4

Before the installation, ensure that your firewalls and other components of your network security system (such as a proxy sever) allow both inbound and outbound connections through the following TCP ports:



443 and 8443 These ports are used for accessing the backup console, registering the agents, downloading the certificates, user authorization, and downloading files from the cloud storage.



7770...7800 The agents use these ports to communicate with the backup management server.



44445 The agents use this port for data transfer during backup and recovery.

If a proxy server is enabled in your network, refer to the "Proxy server settings" (p. 22) section to understand whether you need to configure these settings on each machine that runs a backup agent.

2.6.2 Proxy server settings

The backup agents can transfer data through an HTTP proxy server.

The agent installation requires an Internet connection. If a proxy server is configured in Windows (Control panel > Internet Options > Connections), the setup program reads the proxy server settings from the registry and uses them automatically. In Linux and OS X, you must specify the proxy settings before the installation.

Use the procedures below to specify the proxy settings before the agent installation or to change them at a later time.

In Linux

1. Create the file /etc/Acronis/Global.config and open it in a text editor. 2. Copy and paste the following lines into the file:

<?xml version="1.0" ?> <registry name="Global"> <key name="HttpProxy">

<value name="Host" type="TString">"proxy.company.com"</value> <value name="Port" type="Tdword">"443"</value>

</key> </registry>

3. Replace proxy.company.com with your proxy server host name/IP address, and 443 with the decimal value of the port number.

4. Save the file.

5. If the backup agent is not installed yet, you can now install it. Otherwise, as the root user, restart the agent by executing the following command in any directory:

sudo service acronis_mms restart

In OS X

1. Create the file /Library/Application Support/Acronis/Registry/Global.config and open it in a text editor, such as Text Edit.

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<?xml version="1.0" ?> <registry name="Global"> <key name="HttpProxy">

<value name="Host" type="TString">"proxy.company.com"</value> <value name="Port" type="Tdword">"443"</value>

</key> </registry>

3. Replace proxy.company.com with your proxy server host name/IP address, and 443 with the decimal value of the port number.

4. Save the file.

5. If the backup agent is not installed yet, you can now install it. Otherwise, do the following to restart the agent:

a. Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal

b. Run the following commands:

sudo launchctl stop acronis_mms sudo launchctl start acronis_mms

In Windows

1. Create a new text document and open it in a text editor, such as Notepad. 2. Copy and paste the following lines into the file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Acronis\Global\HttpProxy] "Enabled"=dword:00000001

"Host"="proxy.company.com" "Port"=dword:000001bb

3. Replace proxy.company.com with your proxy server host name/IP address, and 000001bb

with the hexadecimal value of the port number. For example, 000001bb is port 443. 4. Save the document as proxy.reg.

5. Run the file as an administrator.

6. Confirm that you want to edit the Windows registry.

7. If the backup agent is not installed yet, you can now install it. Otherwise, do the following to restart the agent:

a. In the Start menu, click Run, and then type: cmd

b. Click OK.

c. Run the following commands:

net stop mms net start mms

2.6.3 Linux packages

To add the necessary modules to the Linux kernel, the setup program needs the following Linux packages:



The package with kernel headers or sources. The package version must match the kernel version.



The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) compiler system. The GCC version must be the one with

which the kernel was compiled.



The Make tool.

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

The Perl interpreter.

The names of these packages vary depending on your Linux distribution.

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and Fedora, the packages normally will be installed by the setup program. In other distributions, you need to install the packages if they are not installed or do not have the required versions.

Are the required packages already installed?

To check whether the packages are already installed, perform these steps:

1. Run the following command to find out the kernel version and the required GCC version:

cat /proc/version

This command returns lines similar to the following: Linux version 2.6.35.6 and gcc version 4.5.1

2. Run the following command to check whether the Make tool and the GCC compiler are installed:

make -v gcc -v

For gcc, ensure that the version returned by the command is the same as in the gcc version in step 1. For make, just ensure that the command runs.

3. Check whether the appropriate version of the packages for building kernel modules is installed:



In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and Fedora, run the following command:

yum list installed | grep kernel-devel



In Ubuntu, run the following commands:

dpkg --get-selections | grep linux-headers dpkg --get-selections | grep linux-image

In either case, ensure that the package versions are the same as in Linux version in step 1. 4. Run the following command to check whether the Perl interpreter is installed:

perl --version

If you see the information about the Perl version, the interpreter is installed.

Installing the packages from the repository

The following table lists how to install the required packages in various Linux distributions.

Linux distribution

Package names How to install

Red Hat Enterprise Linux kernel-devel gcc make

The setup program will download and install the packages automatically by using your Red Hat subscription.

perl Run the following command:

yum install perl

CentOS Fedora

kernel-devel gcc

make

The setup program will download and install the packages automatically.

perl Run the following command:

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Ubuntu linux-headers linux-image gcc

make perl

Run the following commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` sudo apt-get install linux-image-`uname -r` sudo apt-get install gcc-<package version> sudo apt-get install make

sudo apt-get install perl

The packages will be downloaded from the distribution's repository and installed.

For other Linux distributions, please refer to the distribution's documentation regarding the exact names of the required packages and the ways to install them.

Installing the packages manually

You may need to install the packages manually if:



The machine does not have an active Red Hat subscription or Internet connection.



The setup program cannot find the kernel-devel or gcc version corresponding to the kernel version. If the available kernel-devel is more recent than your kernel, you need to either update the kernel or install the matching kernel-devel version manually.



You have the required packages on the local network and do not want to spend time for automatic search and downloading.

Obtain the packages from your local network or a trusted third-party website, and install them as follows:



In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, or Fedora, run the following command as the root user:

rpm -ivh PACKAGE_FILE1 PACKAGE_FILE2 PACKAGE_FILE3



In Ubuntu, run the following command:

sudo dpkg -i PACKAGE_FILE1 PACKAGE_FILE2 PACKAGE_FILE3

Example: Installing the packages manually in Fedora 14

Follow these steps to install the required packages in Fedora 14 on a 32-bit machine:

1. Run the following command to determine the kernel version and the required GCC version:

cat /proc/version

The output of this command includes the following:

Linux version 2.6.35.6-45.fc14.i686 gcc version 4.5.1

2. Obtain the kernel-devel and gcc packages that correspond to this kernel version:

kernel-devel-2.6.35.6-45.fc14.i686.rpm gcc-4.5.1-4.fc14.i686.rpm

3. Obtain the make package for Fedora 14:

make-3.82-3.fc14.i686

4. Install the packages by running the following commands as the root user:

rpm -ivh kernel-devel-2.6.35.6-45.fc14.i686.rpm rpm -ivh gcc-4.5.1.fc14.i686.rpm

rpm -ivh make-3.82-3.fc14.i686

You can specify all these packages in a single rpm command. Installing any of these packages may require installing additional packages to resolve dependencies.

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2.6.4 Installing agents

In Windows

1. Ensure that the machine is connected to the Internet. 2. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program. 3. Click Install.

4. Specify the credentials of the account to which the machine should be assigned.

5. Click Show proxy settings if you want to verify or change the proxy server host name/IP address and port. Otherwise, skip this step. If a proxy server is enabled in Windows, it is detected and used automatically.

6. [Only when installing Agent for VMware] Specify the address and access credentials for the vCenter Server or stand-alone ESXi host whose virtual machines the agent will back up. We recommend using an account that has the Administrator role assigned. Otherwise, provide an account with the necessary privileges (p. 98) on the vCenter Server or ESXi.

7. [Only when installing on a domain controller] Specify the user account under which the agent service will run. For security reasons, the setup program does not automatically create new accounts on a domain controller.

8. Click Start installation.

You can change the installation path and the account for the agent service by clicking Customize installation settings on the first step of the installation wizard.

In Linux

1. Ensure that the machine is connected to the Internet. 2. As the root user, run the installation file.

3. Specify the credentials of the account to which the machine should be assigned. 4. Complete the installation procedure.

Troubleshooting information is provided in the file:

/usr/lib/Acronis/BackupAndRecovery/HOWTO.INSTALL

In OS X

1. Ensure that the machine is connected to the Internet. 2. Double-click the installation file (.dmg).

3. Wait while the operating system mounts the installation disk image. 4. Double-click Install.

5. If prompted, provide administrator credentials.

6. Specify the credentials of the account to which the machine should be assigned. 7. Complete the installation procedure.

2.6.5 Updating agents

Agents starting with the following versions can be updated by using the web interface:



Agent for Windows, Agent for VMware, Agent for Hyper-V: version 11.9.191 and later



Agent for Linux: version 11.9.179 and later



Other agents: any version can be updated

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If automatic update is enabled by a backup service administrator, the agents are updated

automatically as soon as a new version is released. If automatic update is disabled or fails for any reason, use the procedure described below.

To update from earlier agent versions, download and install the newest agent manually. To find the download links, click All devices > Add.

To update an agent by using the web interface

1. Click Settings > Agents.

The software displays the list of machines. The machines with outdated agent versions are marked with an orange exclamation mark.

2. Select the machines that you want to update the agents on. The machines must be online. 3. Click Update agent.

The update progress is shown in the status column for each machine.

2.6.6 Uninstalling agents

In Windows

If you want to remove individual product components (for example, one of the agents or Backup Monitor), run the All agents for installation in Windows setup program, choose to modify the product, and clear the selection of the components that you want to remove. The link to the setup program is present on the Downloads page (click the account icon in the top-right corner >

Downloads).

If you want to remove all of the product components from a machine, follow the steps described below.

1. Log on as an administrator.

2. Go to Control panel, and then select Programs and Features (Add or Remove Programs in Windows XP) > Acronis Backup Agent > Uninstall.

3. [Optional] Select the Remove the logs and configuration settings check box.

If you are planning to install the agent again, keep this check box cleared. If you select the check box, the machine may be duplicated in the backup console and the backups of the old machine may not be associated with the new machine.

4. Confirm your decision.

5. If you are planning to install the agent again, skip this step. Otherwise, in the backup console, click Settings > Agents, select the machine where the agent was installed, and then click Delete.

In Linux

1. As the root user, run /usr/lib/Acronis/BackupAndRecovery/uninstall/uninstall.

2. [Optional] Select the Clean up all product traces (Remove the product's logs, tasks, vaults, and configuration settings) check box.

If you are planning to install the agent again, keep this check box cleared. If you select the check box, the machine may be duplicated in the backup console and the backups of the old machine may not be associated with the new machine.

3. Confirm your decision.

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In OS X

1. Double-click the installation file (.dmg).

2. Wait while the operating system mounts the installation disk image. 3. Inside the image, double-click Uninstall.

4. If prompted, provide administrator credentials. 5. Confirm your decision.

2.7 Backup console views

The backup console has two views: a simple view and a table view. To switch between the views, click the corresponding icon in the top right corner.

The simple view supports a small number of machines.

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Both views provide access to the same features and operations. This document describes access to operations from the table view.

2.8 Backup

A backup plan is a set of rules that specify how the given data will be protected on a given machine. A backup plan can be applied to multiple machines at the time of its creation, or later.

To create the first backup plan

1. Select the machines that you want to back up. 2. Click Backup.

The software displays a new backup plan template.

3. [Optional] To modify the backup plan name, click the default name.

4. [Optional] To modify the plan parameters, click the corresponding section of the backup plan panel.

5. [Optional] To modify the backup options, click the gear icon. 6. Click Apply.

To apply an existing backup plan

1. Select the machines that you want to back up.

2. Click Backup. If a common backup plan is already applied to the selected machines, click Add backup plan.

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The software displays previously created backup plans.

3. Select a backup plan to apply. 4. Click Apply.

2.8.1 Backup plan cheat sheet

The following table summarizes the available backup plan parameters. Use the table to create a backup plan that best fits your needs.

WHAT TO BACK UP ITEMS TO BACK UP Selection methods

WHERE TO BACK UP

SCHEDULE Backup schemes

(not for Cloud)

HOW LONG TO KEEP

Disks/volumes (physical machines) Direct selection (p. 31) Policy rules (p. 31) File filters (p. 45) Cloud (p. 34) Local folder (p. 34) Network folder (p. 34) NFS (p. 34)* Secure Zone (p. 34)** Always incremental (Single-file) (p. 36) Always full (p. 36) Weekly full, daily incremental (p. 36) Custom (F-D-I) (p. 36) By backup age (single rule/per backup set) (p. 38) By number of backups (p. 38) Keep indefinitely (p. 38) Disks/volumes (virtual machines) Policy rules (p. 31) File filters (p. 45) Cloud (p. 34) Local folder (p. 34) Network folder (p. 34) NFS (p. 34)* Files (physical machines only) Direct selection (p. 32) Policy rules (p. 32) File filters (p. 45) Cloud (p. 34) Local folder (p. 34) Network folder (p. 34) NFS (p. 34)* Secure Zone (p. 34)** Always full (p. 36) Weekly full, daily incremental (p. 36) Custom (F-D-I) (p. 36) ESXi configuration Direct selection (p. 34)

Local folder (p. 34) Network folder

(p. 34) NFS (p. 34)*

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WHAT TO BACK UP ITEMS TO BACK UP Selection methods WHERE TO BACK UP SCHEDULE Backup schemes

(not for Cloud)

HOW LONG TO KEEP

System state Direct selection (p. 34)

Cloud (p. 34) Local folder (p. 34) Network folder (p. 34) Always full (p. 36) Weekly full, daily incremental (p. 36) Custom (F-I) (p. 36) SQL databases Direct selection (p. 79)

Exchange databases Direct selection (p. 80)

Office 365

mailboxes Direct selection (p. 89)

Always incremental (Single-file) (p. 36) By number of backups (p. 38) Keep indefinitely (p. 38) * Backup to NFS shares is not available in Windows.

** Secure Zone cannot be created on a Mac.

2.8.2 Selecting data to back up

2.8.2.1 Selecting disks/volumes

A disk-level backup contains a copy of a disk or a volume in a packaged form. You can recover

individual disks, volumes, or files from a disk-level backup. A backup of an entire machine is a backup of all its disks.

There are two ways of selecting disks/volumes: directly on each machine or by using policy rules. You can exclude files from a disk backup by setting the file filters (p. 45).

Direct selection

Direct selection is available only for physical machines. 1. In What to back up, select Disks/volumes.

2. Click Items to back up.

3. In Select items for backup, select Directly.

4. For each of the machines included in the backup plan, select the check boxes next to the disks or volumes to back up.

5. Click Done.

Using policy rules

1. In What to back up, select Disks/volumes. 2. Click Items to back up.

3. In Select items for backup, select Using policy rules.

4. Select any of the predefined rules, type your own rules, or combine both.

The policy rules will be applied to all of the machines included in the backup plan. If no data meeting at least one of the rules is found on a machine when the backup starts, the backup will fail on that machine.

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Rules for Windows, Linux, and OS X



[All volumes] selects all volumes on machines running Windows and all mounted volumes on machines running Linux or OS X.

Rules for Windows



Drive letter (for example C:\) selects the volume with the specified drive letter.



[Fixed Volumes (Physical machines)] selects all volumes of physical machines, other than removable media. Fixed volumes include volumes on SCSI, ATAPI, ATA, SSA, SAS, and SATA devices, and on RAID arrays.



[BOOT+SYSTEM] selects the system and boot volumes. This combination is the minimal set of data that ensures recovery of the operating system from the backup.



[Disk 1] selects the first disk of the machine, including all volumes on that disk. To select another disk, type the corresponding number.

Rules for Linux



/dev/hda1 selects the first volume on the first IDE hard disk.



/dev/sda1 selects the first volume on the first SCSI hard disk.



/dev/md1 selects the first software RAID hard disk.

To select other basic volumes, specify /dev/xdyN, where:



"x" corresponds to the disk type



"y" corresponds to the disk number (a for the first disk, b for the second disk, and so on)



"N" is the volume number.

To select a logical volume, specify its name along with the volume group name. For example, to back up two logical volumes, lv_root and lv_bin, both of which belong to the volume group

vg_mymachine, specify:

/dev/vg_mymachine/lv_root /dev/vg_mymachine/lv_bin

Rules for OS X



[Disk 1] Selects the first disk of the machine, including all volumes on that disk. To select another disk, type the corresponding number.

2.8.2.2 Selecting files/folders

File-level backup is available only for physical machines.

A file-level backup is not sufficient for recovery of the operating system. Choose file backup if you plan to protect only certain data (the current project, for example). This will reduce the backup size, thus saving storage space.

There are two ways of selecting files: directly on each machine or by using policy rules. Either method allows you to further refine the selection by setting the file filters (p. 45).

Direct selection

1. In What to back up, select Files/folders. 2. Click Items to back up.

3. In Select items for backup, select Directly.

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a. Click Select files and folders.

b. Click Local folder or Network folder.

The share must be accessible from the selected machine.

c. Browse to the required files/folders or enter the path and click the arrow button. If prompted, specify the user name and password for the shared folder.

d. Select the required files/folders. e. Click Done.

Using policy rules

1. In What to back up, select Files/folders. 2. Click Items to back up.

3. In Select items for backup, select Using policy rules.

4. Select any of the predefined rules, type your own rules, or combine both.

The policy rules will be applied to all of the machines included in the backup plan. If no data meeting at least one of the rules is found on a machine when the backup starts, the backup will fail on that machine.

5. Click Done.

Selection rules for Windows



Full path to a file or folder, for example D:\Work\Text.doc or C:\Windows.



Templates:



[All Files] selects all files on all volumes of the machine.



[All Profiles Folder] selects the folder where all user profiles are located (typically,

C:\Users or C:\Documents and Settings).



Environment variables:



%ALLUSERSPROFILE% selects the folder where the common data of all user profiles is located (typically, C:\ProgramData or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users).



%PROGRAMFILES% selects the Program Files folder (for example, C:\Program Files).



%WINDIR% selects the folder where Windows is located (for example, C:\Windows).

You can use other environment variables or a combination of environment variables and text. For example, to select the Java folder in the Program Files folder, type: %PROGRAMFILES%\Java.

Selection rules for Linux



Full path to a file or directory. For example,to back up file.txt on the volume /dev/hda3

mounted on /home/usr/docs,specify /dev/hda3/file.txt or /home/usr/docs/file.txt.



/home selects the home directory of the common users.



/root selects the root user's home directory.



/usr selects the directory for all user-related programs.



/etc selects the directory for system configuration files.

Selection rules for OS X

Full path to a file or directory. Examples:



To back up file.txt on your desktop,specify /Users/<username>/Desktop/file.txt, where <username> is your user name.

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

To back up the directory where the applications are installed, specify /Applications.

2.8.2.3 Selecting system state

System state backup is available for machines running Windows Vista and later. To back up system state, in What to back up, select System state.

A system state backup is comprised of the following files:



Task scheduler configuration



VSS Metadata Store



Performance counter configuration information



MSSearch Service



Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)



The registry



Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)



Component Services Class registration database

2.8.2.4 Selecting ESXi configuration

A backup of an ESXi host configuration enables you to recover an ESXi host to bare metal. The recovery is performed under bootable media.

The virtual machines running on the host are not included in the backup. They can be backed up and recovered separately.

A backup of an ESXi host configuration includes:



The bootloader and boot bank partitions of the host.



The host state (configuration of virtual networking and storage, SSL keys, server network settings, and local user information).



Extensions and patches installed or staged on the host.



Log files.

Prerequisites



SSH must be enabled in the Security Profile of the ESXi host configuration.



You must know the password for the 'root' account on the ESXi host.

To select an ESXi configuration

1. Go to VMware > Host and clusters.

2. Browse to the ESXi hosts that you want to back up. 3. Select the ESXi hosts and click Backup.

4. In What to back up, select ESXi configuration.

5. In ESXi 'root' password, specify a password for the 'root' account on each of the selected hosts or apply the same password to all of the hosts.

2.8.3 Selecting a destination

Click Where to back up, and then select one of the following:



Cloud storage

Acronis Backup Cloud Version 6